Pubdate: Fri, 14 Jan 2000
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2000 Star Tribune
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Author: Associated Press

REPORT: 4 MORE COPS RELIEVED OF DUTY

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Four more police officers who worked in the Rampart
division have been relieved of duty and prosecutors expect more convictions
tainted by misconduct to be overturned, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

The officers were relieved of duty last week, the Times reported, citing
anonymous sources. That means 20 officers have been relieved of duty,
suspended without pay, fired, or who have resigned as a result of the worst
police corruption scandal to hit the city in decades.

Eleven criminal convictions have been overturned and four inmates have been
released from prison as a result of the scandal in which officers are said
to have framed people for crimes they didn' t commit, lied in court to
obtain convictions and in some cases shot innocent people.

Prosecutors said more than 40 more convictions may be overturned as they
continue their review of potentially tainted cases.

Rafael Perez, the former officer who broke the scandal open, was named in a
lawsuit filed Wednesday by a woman who said he and his former partner beat
her and stole her rent money and savings.

The lawsuit, which also names Perez' s former partner, Nino Durden, and
several department officials, seeks $10 million, said Cynthia Diaz' s
attorney, Stephen Yagman.

Perez, a former anti-gang officer, has pleaded guilty to stealing eight
pounds of cocaine. As part of a deal expected to shave time off his prison
sentence, he is giving detectives information about past cases where he
said Rampart officers beat, framed and shot people.
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